Inflammation is an important component of host protection, and is a composite response including successive events in response to an injury which may be infectious or non-infectious. Inflammation involves a variety of events on the cellular, molecular and physiologic levels. These events include vasodilatation; increased vascular permeability; extravasation of plasma leading to interstitial edema; chemotaxis of neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes; cytokine production; acute phase reactants; leukocytosis; fever; increased metabolic rate; impaired albumin production and hypoalbuminemia; activation of complement; and stimulation of antibodies. Inflammation is associated with diseases or disorders such as, for example, neurodegenerative diseases, SIRS, asthma, diabetes associated nephropathy and retinopathy, protein wasting, muscle fatigue or inflammation and PMS, infectious diseases, as well as various cardiovascular disorders.
Biochemical markers of inflammation are known in the art and include C-reactive protein (CRP) and members of the interleukin family. The presence of elevated levels of certain of these markers has been shown to be associated with development of disease. For example, CRP has been reported as a marker for systemic inflammation Spanheimer (2001, Postgrad. Med. 109(4) 26) and Ridkler et al. (2000, N.E.J.M. 342(12):836-43).
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,410,589; 6,242,479 and 6,048,891 disclose gamma-tocopherol compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 6,346,544 discloses desmethyl tocopherol compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,965 discloses the topical administration of delta-tocopherol for the treatment of psoriasis.
There remains a need for compositions and methods for reducing one or more biochemical markers of inflammation, thereby reducing or ameliorating the symptoms of inflammation associated with disease. Further, there remains a need for methods for reducing elevated CRP levels associated with a number of diseases and disorders including, but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and infectious diseases.
The disclosure of all patents and publications cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.